1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to magazines and their driving means, particularly those employed in the semiconductor industry for handling lead frames.
2. Prior Art
In the semiconductor industry it is often necessary to handle large numbers of semiconductor dies for processing or testing, such as for bonding. These dies are generally mounted on lead frames, or may be held in a tray or on other mounting strips. A plurality of these strips are housed in a magazine and fed from the magazine for processing, testing, or the like. After each lead frame or other holding means is removed from the magazine, the magazine is typically indexed downwardly or upwardly to allow the next lead frame or other holder to be removed from the magazine.
Often the magazine is placed on an elevator and the elevator is indexed downwardly to allow each of the holders to be extracted. After all the holders have been removed from a magazine, the magazine is manually removed from the elevator and another magazine placed on the elevator while the elevator is raised to its starting position. A like apparatus is used for unloading the holders after processing.
As will be seen, with the presently disclosed apparatus the magazines are directly driven without the need for the more complex elevator employed in the prior art. Moreover, manual changing of the magazine is not required when a magazine is emptied or filled since the apparatus allows the magazines to be automatically fed-through.